Canada is one of the world’s largest exporters of minerals and mineral products. Some of the most important minerals to the Canadian economy are gold, nickel, potash, copper, and cement. Mining takes place in several different ways including underground mining, surface mining, solution mining, and placer mining. Many of us aren’t aware of how mining activities affect our daily lives. Coal and uranium provide one third of our electrical requirements each day. When we put on sunscreen, it’s the zinc in it that protects us from getting burned. Silver is used to develop and print photographs. To build a home’s foundation we use products that contain limestone, sand, and gravel. Copper pipes carry water through our homes and gypsum is used in drywall.

There are environmental costs associated with the mining industry. Mining results in the release of metals such as mercury, arsenic, and lead into lakes and streams. These metals can accumulate in fish populations for example, which are then consumed by humans. High concentrations of mercury are known to affect the human nervous system. Mining also changes the land where the mineral extraction takes place, and there are wastes associated with the extraction and processing of minerals. On the plus side, many minerals are recyclable, and Canada has a thriving recycling industry and trade in recycled minerals.

Click on Select-A-Career or EnviroCareers to find out more about the environmental jobs related to mining:

• Aboriginal Liaison
  
• Remediation Scientist
  
• Environmental Engineer
  
• Remote Sensing Techologist
  
• Environmental Co-ordinator
  
• Environmental Lawyer
  
• Geologist
  
• GIS Ananlyst
  
• Hydrogeologist